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Functional Affordable DIY ( Do It Yourself ) PI MD Discriminator
I had intended to have this as a project, but I figured I'd just post it here and if you want to have a go at it on they're own, your welcome to it.
My idea, was to base a discriminator for the PI Md on a GameBoy, (either the basic GameBoy, the color version, or the Advance version). The GameBoy has already proven itself capable of being used for such things as:
1) a dual trace oscilloscope,
2) a data logger,
3) an electrocardiograph.
I think there are a couple of other things its been modified into, but I think thats enough to demonstrate my point for now. I've included links below relating to the above. Earlier I looked on SourceForge and found hundreds of open source programs, some of which would be a good basis for a discriminator program for the GameBoy, allowing people to enhance the ability of the PI MD without having to spend alot of cash.
Since I'm not an elecrtonics whiz and my programming has been limited to Basic and some XBasic, I'll leave it to someone else to follow through on this. Or not.
F.
This first link is actually a 4 Channel Oscilloscope, but I couldn't find further information on it through Google other than some dead end sites in India:
http://fuge.org.uk/gameboy%20oscilloscope.html
A cheap Dual Trace Oscilloscope then the GBDSO Digital Sampling Oscilloscope.
The website with pictures and key features is here:
http://www.semis.demon.co.uk/Gameboy/DsoDemo/DsoDemo.htm
You can buy the module that plugs into the GameBoy for £103.00 here:
http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk...ProductID=2418
Here are links to a two page article about the Oscilloscope with a parts list:
http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=28&year=2000&month=10&art=51077
And:
http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=28&year=2000&month=11&art=51086
Additional information here:
http://www.reinerziegler.de/lang/gbcart.htm
But if you want the information on building the above device, I'm not sure where to get the software off hand. You will have to find the pdf file on Google using the keywords; "gameboy Digital Sampling Oscilloscope" (including the double quotes), or just use; GBDSO_uk .
I found the following pdf files containing two of the three pdf files needed. I think there is a third with the PCB.
This one is in English on an Italian website and contains the first 2 files.
http://www.pcradiokits.it/IMG/pdf/gbdso_uk.pdf
This one is on an English language website but I could only find the link from some blog website.
http://www.reinerziegler.de/gbdso_uk.pdf
I found a French version (3 pdf files) that I can't read here:
http://leguen.philippe.free.fr/download/GBDSO/
***********************
A GameBoy Data Logger.
PDF file in Dutch:
http://www.reinerziegler.de/datalogger/56715-Datenl.-f.-Gameb_UM-022004.pdf
***********************
DataBoy is an RS-232 data scope, (also known as a serial line monitor or protocol analyzer), that runs on a Game Boy.
http://www.databoy.netfirms.com/index.html
(Sells in eBay store for $175.00)
***********************
GBECG GameBoy Electrocardiograph:
http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk...On&SearchText=
DIY version's here:
http://www.e-dsp.com/how-to-build-your-own-heart-monitoring-device-a-simple-ecg/
(Some health concerns raised, but may have been fixed.)
And here:
A non-GameBoy Homemade Electrocardiograph.
http://www.eng.utah.edu/~jnguyen/ecg/ecg_index.html
Non-GameBoy ECG recording, storing, filtering and recognition. By Georgi Petrov. Full open code project for making driver and application software for ECG medical measurements. (Includes open source code.)
http://www.codeproject.com/tools/ecg_dsp.asp
***********************
Gameboy CAR Programmer Schematic:
http://www.freeinfosociety.com/electronics/schemview.php?id=1448
***********************
Some of the above links were included simply to show the ability of the various forms of the GameBoy, to be more than just a a toy for playing games. As for my idea of using the GameBoy as a discriminator for the PI MD's, the following two pages illustrate that signal received by a metal detector when it encounters a metal, or mineral, can be displayed in a graphical format, (as is the case with almost all new metal detectors). You actually don't reprogram the GameBoy as such, but rather the cartridge and there are spcific cartridges that are better than others. I have a couple of dozen links to webpages about this and the methods used for the reprogramming.
Metal detector response to a stone (left) and an AP mine (right) in sand (center: 40 cm).
http://diwww.epfl.ch/lami/detec/gpr96.html#fig8
Metal detector response to metalic debris in sand:
http://diwww.epfl.ch/lami/detec/gpr96.html#fig9
AS I understand the principles of metal detectors, a pulsing current is applied to the coil, which then induces a magnetic field and when the magnetic field of the coil moves across metal, (or mineral), such as the coin, the field induces electric currents (called eddy currents) in the coin. These eddy currents induce their own magnetic field, which generate an opposite current in the coil and in turn induce a signal indicating the presence of metal.
My idea was to use a GameBoy, (equiped with proper software), connected to the receiver circuit of the PI MD to analyze the signal and determine its nature before it is sent to the headphone jack. (I know this is a simplified explanation and no doubt someone will troll on that.) But, as I was saying. My idea, isn't just to discriminate out portions of the signal, but to have the option to do the reverse by simply leaving the circuit without an open connection and only allowing it to open to send through specific identified signals that "loosely" correspond with typical signals for gold and other metals, or minerals as preset by the MD operator.
That about sum's it up.
F.
My idea, was to base a discriminator for the PI Md on a GameBoy, (either the basic GameBoy, the color version, or the Advance version). The GameBoy has already proven itself capable of being used for such things as:
1) a dual trace oscilloscope,
2) a data logger,
3) an electrocardiograph.
I think there are a couple of other things its been modified into, but I think thats enough to demonstrate my point for now. I've included links below relating to the above. Earlier I looked on SourceForge and found hundreds of open source programs, some of which would be a good basis for a discriminator program for the GameBoy, allowing people to enhance the ability of the PI MD without having to spend alot of cash.
Since I'm not an elecrtonics whiz and my programming has been limited to Basic and some XBasic, I'll leave it to someone else to follow through on this. Or not.
F.
This first link is actually a 4 Channel Oscilloscope, but I couldn't find further information on it through Google other than some dead end sites in India:
http://fuge.org.uk/gameboy%20oscilloscope.html
A cheap Dual Trace Oscilloscope then the GBDSO Digital Sampling Oscilloscope.
The website with pictures and key features is here:
http://www.semis.demon.co.uk/Gameboy/DsoDemo/DsoDemo.htm
You can buy the module that plugs into the GameBoy for £103.00 here:
http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk...ProductID=2418
Here are links to a two page article about the Oscilloscope with a parts list:
http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=28&year=2000&month=10&art=51077
And:
http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=28&year=2000&month=11&art=51086
Additional information here:
http://www.reinerziegler.de/lang/gbcart.htm
But if you want the information on building the above device, I'm not sure where to get the software off hand. You will have to find the pdf file on Google using the keywords; "gameboy Digital Sampling Oscilloscope" (including the double quotes), or just use; GBDSO_uk .
I found the following pdf files containing two of the three pdf files needed. I think there is a third with the PCB.
This one is in English on an Italian website and contains the first 2 files.
http://www.pcradiokits.it/IMG/pdf/gbdso_uk.pdf
This one is on an English language website but I could only find the link from some blog website.
http://www.reinerziegler.de/gbdso_uk.pdf
I found a French version (3 pdf files) that I can't read here:
http://leguen.philippe.free.fr/download/GBDSO/
***********************
A GameBoy Data Logger.
PDF file in Dutch:
http://www.reinerziegler.de/datalogger/56715-Datenl.-f.-Gameb_UM-022004.pdf
***********************
DataBoy is an RS-232 data scope, (also known as a serial line monitor or protocol analyzer), that runs on a Game Boy.
http://www.databoy.netfirms.com/index.html
(Sells in eBay store for $175.00)
***********************
GBECG GameBoy Electrocardiograph:
http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk...On&SearchText=
DIY version's here:
http://www.e-dsp.com/how-to-build-your-own-heart-monitoring-device-a-simple-ecg/
(Some health concerns raised, but may have been fixed.)
And here:
A non-GameBoy Homemade Electrocardiograph.
http://www.eng.utah.edu/~jnguyen/ecg/ecg_index.html
Non-GameBoy ECG recording, storing, filtering and recognition. By Georgi Petrov. Full open code project for making driver and application software for ECG medical measurements. (Includes open source code.)
http://www.codeproject.com/tools/ecg_dsp.asp
***********************
Gameboy CAR Programmer Schematic:
http://www.freeinfosociety.com/electronics/schemview.php?id=1448
***********************
Some of the above links were included simply to show the ability of the various forms of the GameBoy, to be more than just a a toy for playing games. As for my idea of using the GameBoy as a discriminator for the PI MD's, the following two pages illustrate that signal received by a metal detector when it encounters a metal, or mineral, can be displayed in a graphical format, (as is the case with almost all new metal detectors). You actually don't reprogram the GameBoy as such, but rather the cartridge and there are spcific cartridges that are better than others. I have a couple of dozen links to webpages about this and the methods used for the reprogramming.
Metal detector response to a stone (left) and an AP mine (right) in sand (center: 40 cm).
http://diwww.epfl.ch/lami/detec/gpr96.html#fig8
Metal detector response to metalic debris in sand:
http://diwww.epfl.ch/lami/detec/gpr96.html#fig9
AS I understand the principles of metal detectors, a pulsing current is applied to the coil, which then induces a magnetic field and when the magnetic field of the coil moves across metal, (or mineral), such as the coin, the field induces electric currents (called eddy currents) in the coin. These eddy currents induce their own magnetic field, which generate an opposite current in the coil and in turn induce a signal indicating the presence of metal.
My idea was to use a GameBoy, (equiped with proper software), connected to the receiver circuit of the PI MD to analyze the signal and determine its nature before it is sent to the headphone jack. (I know this is a simplified explanation and no doubt someone will troll on that.) But, as I was saying. My idea, isn't just to discriminate out portions of the signal, but to have the option to do the reverse by simply leaving the circuit without an open connection and only allowing it to open to send through specific identified signals that "loosely" correspond with typical signals for gold and other metals, or minerals as preset by the MD operator.
That about sum's it up.
F.
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